Discussion
I love universe building in Sci-Fi. Especially how different authors take on trying to include some far fetched technology to prove that things are advanced.
In The Unincorporated Man universe there was light that didn't have a source. A room could just be lit with soft light with no obvious source.
In The Mercy of the Gods universe there's centrifuges that work without spinning. You just put stuff in, hit a button, and the separation happens.
Do you have any favourites?
@preinheimer The explanations of the technology behind the airships in the Shannara series (https://shannara.fandom.com/wiki/Airship) and the diapason crystals, was just masterful. Brooks, in general, does an amazing job of both history and technology in his world building - even in his Star Wars book (He also wrote the novelization of Phantom Menace, which was way better than the movie, and explains how the racer pods work.)
@rbowen @preinheimer I misread airships as starships, and I was about to exclaim, “WTF?! Shannara’s in space now?!”
@preinheimer @rbowen I’m trying to think of some tech that has stood out in sci-fi books, and I’m coming up short. I think it’s because I love sci-fi most when the tech fades into the background and is just setting for the story.
The one thing that does stand out is the ansible from Ursula K. Le Guin’s Hainish Cycle setting.
Install bonfire.cafe
Get the full app experience
